Eden Forest (Part one of the Saskia Trilogy) (17 page)

is pointed at the tip and runs it along my face, cutting me.

He starts to lick the blood off my skin. I try to stay as still

as possible. When he is finished tasting my blood, I can see it

trickle into his eyes. “So what news do you bring me, Bellona?”

I clear my throat. “My king, I know where the girl is. I will

capture her soon and bring her to you.”

“Soon. I do not like that word. You see, I have waited for

centuries for this, yet you come to me with delays.”

I look at Lucian, feeling afraid. “My king…”

“I need that girl, no matter what force you must take,” he

says.

“Yes, my king”. I start to feel a bit braver. “Why, if I might

boldly ask?”

“To ask is very bold of you, Bellona.”

He takes human form, shocking me at how quickly he

changes. He grabs me by the throat and lifts me off my feet,

cutting off the air from my lungs. My legs dangle in the air. I

am going to black out.

Lucian throws me on the ground. “Do not disappoint me

again.” I lie on the ground, gasping for air. He kneels down

beside me. “I will not kill you, Bellona” I just look at him, still

trying to catch my breath. “I will strip your flesh from your

body and let you scream in agony. Just before you die, I will let

your flesh knit back together and then I will start all over again.

So you better do as you are told.” I rasp, “Yes my king.”.

Lucian’s head jerks towards Suis, who is wide-eyed with

fear. “You brought me a gift. How thoughtful.” She screams

as Lucian disintegrates into a fog and floats through the bars of

the cage. Once inside he takes human form. Suis screams again.

Lucian laughs. “Scream for me, child. Scream.” And then he

tears into her flesh.

I turn my head away as he rips out her throat. The sounds of

him tearing her apart make me gag. I lie there until the noise is

gone. When I look over at the cage, Lucian is no longer there,

but Suis’s organs are dripping from the cage bars. I vomit on the

floor, my throat now raw.

Once I make it back to my chambers, I wash and change my

clothes while putting on my pendant. I notice my hands are

shaking. I pour myself a goblet of wine and drink it in one gulp

while trying to calm myself. I can’t show signs of weakness.

I leave my chambers and find Taurus in the library. He rises

when I enter “My lady.”

“Sit, Taurus.” He sits back down. “I need you to get Clive

and bring him here. Also, make sure Felix keeps an eye on our

guest.” Taurus rises and inclines his head in acknowledgement.

“Oh, I don’t want her harmed.”

“Yes, my lady.” After he leaves, I have a few moments to sort

through how best to deal with the situation. The girl will be

heavily guarded. I need to flush her out.

“Mother, you asked for me?”

“Sit, son. There is something I need you to do in a week’s

time. I need you to go to the Amour Caves and scare Sarajane.

Tell her you are her brother and Morrick is her father. Also

tell her what her mother has done.” Clive smiles. I can see the

wheels turning in his head so I have to give him a reward. “You

can hurt her.” His grin spreads. “But don’t kill her.”

“Yes, Mother.” Then his grin fades. “Why a week? Why not

now?”

“Because it would look suspicious if you arrive when Liber

leaves. We need to keep him. I will have Liber leave messages

that will help you convince her that Morrick doesn’t want her

around. And then I will swoop in and be a forgiving queen and

take her under my wing.” Clive takes out his dagger a smile

spreads on his face. “Clive.” I give him a cold gaze that wipes

the smile away. “If you kill her…”

“I won’t, Mother.” His smile reappears. “I will just have a

little fun.”

“You are dismissed, Clive.”

He saunters to the door, still playing with his knife. “How do

I get there?” he asks from the door.

“Don’t worry. When the time comes I will show you.”

There are underground tunnels that connect the castle to

the Amour Caves, in case the castle is ever ambushed again.

Morrick was so stupid to bring her there. He knows I am well

aware of the tunnels. I just hope he hasn’t blocked them.

Chapter Ten

Saskia

(Sarajane)

T
he next morning, I change into travelling clothes. I

overheard Morrick and my mother arguing last night.

She wanted me and herself to go off and spend some time

together away from here, but Morrick argued over our safety.

He said leaving the confinement of the caves wasn’t safe, as he

couldn’t protect us elsewhere. My mother won in the end.

I tuck my trousers into my boots as my room door opens.

“You heard about this last night?” she asks as she examines my

travel clothes with a hand on her hip.

“The caves carry sounds,” I say while straightening my tunic

and wrapping my cloak around my shoulders. “Ready?” I smile.

My mother is dressed the same as me—black pants, boots,

white tunic and a black cloak. We both look like spies. “Ready,”

she replies, smiling back.

As we pass the main room, Mum picks up a leather bag and

we make our way out of the caves. The light outside is blinding.

The air tastes like a fine wine. I drink it in deeply. I’ve only

been in the caves one day, but in the small space it feels like it

could’ve been days.

“So where to?” I ask.

“Take this and keep it in your boot.” I raise my hands as my

mother hands me a dagger. I can’t carry a dagger around. More

than likely I’d end up hurting myself. “Sarajane, we can’t go any

farther unless you take it.”

I take it hesitantly. It feels light as I weigh it in my hands.

The blade is covered in a leather holder, the handle white pearl.

I slide it into my boot; it feels uncomfortable against my ankle.

My mother gets down on her knees in front of me and

extracts the dagger. “In the side of all boots there is a holder for

any dagger. It’s aligned with your ankle.” She slides the knife

back in. It feels better, but I’m still aware it’s in my boot. Maybe

it takes time to get used to it.

We move at an easy pace, crossing the barren landscape that

surrounds the mountains. Mum asks about Jessica and Dad.

How they were the last time I saw them, and about Jessica’s

school and Dad’s work. For the next hour, the conversation feels

easy and normal. I can hear the sound of gurgling water nearby.

“We will stop soon and have food,” my mother says while

linking her arm with mine. We settle near the stream, and I

take off my boots and socks. I dangle my feet into the rushing

water and let the sun wash over me. My mother settles beside

me, handing me bread and cheese. My mother throws me a

sideward glance as I eat. When I continue eating she laughs to

herself.

“What?” I ask around a full mouth.

“I really thought you would plague me with questions.”

I finish my bread and wash it down with water. “I have lots

of questions, but I thought you could start at the beginning.

Like how you ended up back here?”

Removing her own boots and socks, my mum dips her feet

in the stream and relaxes her posture while closing her eyes.

“When I left, I truly believed I would never see Saskia again.

So I never told you of it.” She gives a small laugh and glances

towards me. “Would you have believed me if I told you this

existed?”

“No. I guess seeing really is believing.” My feet start to get

cold so I pull them out and let them dry in the sun’s rays.

“I was out walking Charlie when I was taken. I recognised

Taurus, the queen’s guard, and knew I wouldn’t be able to

escape. I thought I knew why they had come for me, but it

turned out differently.” My mother falls into silence, but I’m

holding my breath.

“Why?” I whisper.

Her eyes are pleading, asking me to understand. A tear slides

free down her cheek. “I can’t lose you, Sarajane.” The fear on

her face makes me hug her.

“You’ll never lose me, Mum. I promise.”

Kissing my forehead, she wipes her tears away. “In Saskia,

we are matched with our husband or wives at the age of twenty-

five. Until then, you can’t take a lover.”

I want to laugh, but don’t. My mum’s face is pale now.

“That’s ridiculous.”

“It’s our way, but I broke the rules, as I was already in love

and pregnant with you.” I feel sorry for her.

“So they brought you back here because you fell in love

before you were allowed to. And did you bring me here in case

they tried to take me back also?”

She swallows and meets my eye. “Yes,” was her reply, but her

eyes say no. I don’t push her; she looks too distraught. I wonder

who my father is. It doesn’t matter. Soon we will go home, and

in my eyes, John is my dad.

Panic boils in my stomach. John isn’t my dad. And then a

calm washes over me. Everything will be okay, I tell myself, but

thinking of John gives me a pang of homesickness.

“When are we going home?” I ask.

“Morrick is sorting out a few matters. It could take another

two weeks.”

My eyes widen in alarm. “Two weeks?” I put on my socks

and boots roughly. Two more weeks.

“Sarajane, we don’t have a choice.”

I exhale, my anger resides and a calm falls over me again.

“Sorry, I-I just miss home.”

She embraces me. “Me too, love.” When we gather everything

up, we continue walking. “I want to show you something.”

We walk through long grass that brushes our knees. There

are trees every fifty feet. It’s not like a forest, as the trees are

too spaced out. As the sun shines, it gives a golden light to our

surroundings. It is beautiful. The colours are so bright and

strong and there isn’t a cloud in the sky. We start to climb uphill

and when we reach the top, the view takes my breath away with

the sheer beauty of it. No painting or picture could do it justice.

There are loads of trees, but they have thick brown trunks

about the width of five men. They shoot up into the air at a

magnificent height. All the leaves are snow white; they flutter

to the ground, giving the illusion of falling snowflakes, yet the

trees never go bare. Under the trees sit snow-white wolves. You

wouldn’t notice them if not for their bright blue eyes.

“Will they harm us?”

My mum glances at me. She’s in awe of what she sees too.

“No. As long as you do not harm them.” I have to laugh at the

stupidity of attacking a wolf.

We walk down the hill and as we come to a slight bend, a

spring comes into view, set into the side of a large red bank.

Water pours from above and sparkles, crystal clear. I stand

there and just admire it.

“I’ve never seen anything so beautiful,” I say, mostly to

myself.

“Our world is full of beauty. One day you will see it all.”

We turn back to the wolves and make our way across the

grass. As we get closer, the wolves become very alert. They all

rise, their blue eyes fixated on me. It’s a terrifying and amazing

moment, to capture the attention of such creatures.

Mum seems taken aback also as she stops in her tracks. “I

have never seen them behave this way.”

“Maybe they know I’m a stranger?” It sounds like a weak

excuse. Maybe they’re hungry. The thought sends a chill down

my spine. I start to get nervous, fiddling with my hands.

Mum notices and reassures me. “It is all right. I would not let

anything happen to you.”

We move slowly under the trees. Mum sits down, pulling me

gently with her.

The wolves are huge up close. Their coats look so soft and

shiny. They all fall on their front legs as if in a bowing gesture

and their eyes are all set on me. One by one, the wolves rise.

It’s the most unnerving moment of my life. They gather around

me and one of the wolves reaches me and lies down, placing his

head in my lap. I hold my breath.

“It is all right; you can touch him.” Mum assures me, yet her

face says something else. She looks confused. “I have never seen

them like this. It makes no sense.”

I reach out with a trembling hand and let my fingers sink into

the wolf’s fur. “Wow.” He doesn’t even move. I let out a sigh of

relief. “This is amazing. I’ve never seen a wolf before, let alone

touched one.”

I look all around me. There are wolves under every tree, their

blue eyes staring at us. This all feels so surreal. “Why do they sit

under the trees?” I ask Mum.

“They protect them. The trees are known as weeping

willows… The story goes that a man named Willow lived out

here on the outskirts by himself. He didn’t want to live amongst

us. To the villagers, he was odd as he always had a pack of

wolves with him. He was known to have a very powerful earth

affinity. They say he created the spring you just saw by reshaping

the landscape.”

“Wow, that seems hard to believe.”

“Willow was intrigued by the mortal world, but he felt

very sorry for them, as their lifespans were so short, so he

started planting trees in their memory.” Mum moves her

hand around us, motioning to all the trees. “So for every

leaf that falls, a soul has passed from the mortal world, but

the trees will never go bare, as mortals will always reproduce

and exist. So when Willow died, they say he whispered into

the wolves’ souls and made them promise they would always

guard his trees. They have never left the trees unguarded

since Willow died. They are friendly as long as you mean

them no harm, but they would kill in an instant if you posed

a threat to them.”

I sit there thinking about Willow speaking to wolves,

whispering into their souls. It all seems like something from a

fairy tale. This world was so full of magic and beauty. “Why

did Willow feel sorry for us?” I ask.

“Because an average mortal lives between seventy and one

hundred years.”

I roll my eyes and point at myself. “I know. I’m a mortal, but

everyone dies, right?”

Mum begins to look uncomfortable. “Yes, of course everybody

dies, Sarajane, but you are just like us, part immortal.” She rises

abruptly, startling the wolf that looks up at her with sharp eyes

but then just strolls away sensing no danger. “We must return.”

I pat the wolf on my lap and say my good-byes before leaving.

I follow Mum. She’s walking very fast now, making it hard to

keep up with her. “What’s wrong? What did I say, Mum?”

She stops. ”You are saying nothing. That’s the problem.

It… it’s just not like you.” She walks back to the caves. I don’t

understand what she means, yet a voice in the back of my mind

tells me I understand her perfectly well.

By the time we arrive, it’s getting dark. The main room is

alive with laughter. Kiar, Neve and Alana lounge on the chairs.

When Alana notices us, she jumps to her feet. My mother

stops her. “Stay, Alana. I am going to lie down for a while.”

“Are you all right here?” she asks me.

“Yes, I’m fine.”